I was interviewed by Nicholas Atgemis of Le Noeud Papillon, who makes beautiful silk bow ties and men's accessories. If you ever had questions about the project (Who was the hardest person to convince to be part of The Dandy Portraits?) this may be a good read :)

This dapper young man is Stephen Pulvirent of the blog Simply Refined. I met him a few days ago when he was visiting from Chicago. As luck would have it we were both stopping in to say hi to Bruce Boyer while he signed books at the Paul Stuart store. We all continued the evening at the Blue Bar by the Algonquin Hotel, and listened to Bruce tell his tales. Stephen's blog is elegant and a great read about gentlemanly endeavours. As Stephen puts it, "a gentleman doesn’t just dress with style, he lives with style". Of course, I agree.

The dapper gent here high above Lexington Avenue is Savile Row master tailor Steven Hitchcock on his last visit to NYC in October 2011. He makes several visits each year to meet clients and do fittings, and to do his part to bring a bit of the Row to the city. Bruce Boyer thought I would enjoy his personal flair, as well as his unique story of, essentially, growing up on Savile Row, and learning his craft from the legends at Anderson & Sheppard. Check out his story here.

Here are a few glimpses of Steven's amazing duds, and his temporary atelier in the Benjamin Hotel. Behind the scene was Steven's lovely girlfriend, Celia. They welcomed me warmly and good laughs were in abundance.

Doing a bit of alterations for a last minute fitting. Steven is the son of John Hitchcock, head cutter at Anderson & Sheppard, and he began as an apprentice coat maker there when he was 16. At the time Steven thought he might work as a mechanic, but after getting a taste of the sometimes star-studded world of A&S, he thought otherwise. After years learning his craft at A&S he set out on his own in 1999.

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About The Dandy Portraits

The Dandy Portraits began in early 2008 as I started to meet gentlemen who had exceptional personal style. Their "extreme elegance" seemed to be the present day expression of The Dandy. Dandyism has been a passionately debated topic since it's beginning in late 18th century England and France. Today, the question, "What is a dandy?" has no simple answer, and I do not claim to have the last word. Rather, this is a very personal exploration of dandyism - in it's "infinite variety" - thru the gentlemen I have had the pleasure of meeting. With each new portrait comes more curiosity, and the realization that a true dandy is a rare thing indeed.

About the photographer

Rose Callahan is a photographer and filmmaker based in Brooklyn, New York. She can be contacted via email: dandyportraits at gmail com or followed via twitter.